Public can weigh in on the city’s Transportation Improvement Program

Published 5:30 pm Thursday, March 12, 2026

As Mercer Island’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) update rolls along, residents are encouraged to participate in the process by submitting feedback to the city.

The six-year TIP will map out the city’s roadway, pedestrian and bike projects from 2027-2032 and locals can “help shape the future of how Mercer Islanders move,” according to the city.

Islanders can submit their thoughts on the TIP on the city’s Let’s Talk page at: https://letstalk.mercergov.org/tip-2026. Comments submitted by March 19 will be included in the agenda at city council’s April 7 regular meeting, which will also feature a staff TIP preview and a TIP public hearing. April 21 will be the final day for public comment submissions, and on May 5 council will engage in a final TIP review followed by its anticipated adoption at its regular meeting.

According to city Communications Manager David Sandler, the annually updated and adopted rolling six-year plan focuses on “maintaining the existing transportation network and improving it in a thoughtful, safe manner, working within financial constraints.” State law requires that this process occur annually.

Public feedback is vital because it informs new proposed TIP additions, with council making the final decision on each project’s priority, Sandler added. Feedback has been plentiful as shown through the 65 comments — focusing on roadway resurfacing projects and pedestrian/bicycle projects — sent the city’s way last year.

The city last updated the TIP in the spring of 2025 with a continuation of the ADA Transition Plan Implementation Program, Residential and Arterial Preservation Program, and numerous pedestrian and bicycle facilities-related projects.

One big score last year was when city staff secured a Washington State Transportation Improvement Board grant in the amount of $743,007. This grant allowed the acceleration of Island Crest Way Shared Use Path Phase 1 (Southeast 60th Street to Island Park Elementary) construction to 2027.

“This project was developed from the Island Crest Way Corridor Safety Analysis, which identified corridor-wide improvements to enhance mobility and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists,” Sandler said.